My recent weeklong Cretan visit kicked off with one of the great personalities of todays Greek wine Yannis Economou marches to his own idiosyncratic beat It is a complex challenging and ultimately rewarding rhythm With an unrivalled curriculum vitae fluent in five languages this 47yearold was when I first visited him back in 1995 a reluctant disciple of natural wine
He argues convincingly that he had no other choice in making such wines It is the anomaly of the Ziros plateau 600 m that these 60 to 70yearold ungrafted vines are solely responsible for delivering low yields and a naturally high acidity He adds I just nurture them very low sulphuring and bottle when I feel they are ready
He does admit to selling off lesser vintages and keeping only the best vintages The current release is the 2000 Sitia The only other dry vintage to preview was a stunning 2006 Sitia It tasted so shockingly youthful that it only reiterated Economous viewpoint of his unique plateau where he sources his remarkable grapes Economou claims that what is called Liatiko in central and western Crete could well be another altogether different grape I am not so sure Fellow Cretan producer Nikos Douloufakis in Dafnes above the town of Iraklio claims he has seen the Ziros Liatiko grapes He says it is a different smallerberried clone Coupled with the high altitude and much cooler nights this may explain the measurable difference in styles and the success of this remarkable bonedry red wine
Having recently enjoyed a Morgon by the father of natural wine the late Marcel Lapierre I could not help thinking what Marcel would have thought of this vindeterroir naturalwine rarity
Pale ruby brown Initially reductive it opens up after 20 minutes in carafe Very Burgundian floral and spice Pinotnoir nose Ethereal very fine aromas evolving in the glass Delicate but insistent middle palate that blossoms in layers on the aftertaste A wine of great purity Classy Complete There is nothing remotely quite like it elsewhere in the Greek vineyardBest 20102015
Wine: Sitia Domaine Economou Ziros Crete
Year: 2000
Link: http://wineryeconomou.blogspot.com/
Score: 18.5
Type: Red
Variety: Liatiko
Area: Crete